Clock-movement.



WITNESSES PATENTED APR. 14;, .1908". G., J. B. 6: .B. 'W, SYLVAN.

CLOCK MOVEMENT.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 13, 1907;

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' INVENTQRS Gusmr SYLVAN,

JOHHNNES B..SnvAN;" Emu W. SYLVAN, F 5

BY ATTORNEYS vus mums Pz-rzns 5a., WASHINGTON, n c

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GUSTAF SYLVAN, JOHANNES B. SYLVAN, AND EMIL WILHELM SYLVAN, OF COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA.

CLOCK-MOVEMEN T.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, GUsTAF SYLVAN, JonANNns B. SYLVAN, and EMIL WILi-IELM SYLVAN, citizens of the United States, residing at Columbia, in the county of Richland and State of South Carolina, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Clock-Movements, of which the following is a specification.

In another application for a atent filed by us of even date herewith, Series No. 392,726, we have shown and described a clock movement which has for its object to provide means for securing a more uniform transmission of power from the main spring to the escapement, it being well known that the main spring when fully wound up exerts a greater power than when nearly run down. The improvement consisted in interposing an intermediate coil spring in the train of gears which was intermittently wound up by the main spring at regular intervals and which intermediate spring expended its derived power in operating the clock escapement.

Our present invention has the same object in view and employs some of the same instrumentalities, but comprises the novel means for controlling the automatic winding action through the recurrent action of the striking mechanism of the clock, as will be hereinafter more fully described with reference to the drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side view of a clock movement with our invention shown. applied. Fig. 2.is an edge view looking from right to left in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the intermediate spring and its associated parts. Fig. 4.- is an inside view of the stop late and sto lever. Fig. 5 is a section 011 ine 5-5 of ig. 1 and Fig. 6 is an edge view looking upwardly in Fig. 1.

In the drawing, Figs. 1 and 2, A represents the front and A the back plate of the frame of the clock movement, between which the various gears of an ordinary clock movement are contained.

A is a supplemental front plate, shown in Fig. 2, but )artly broken away in Fig. 1, and between W.1l0l1 and the usual front plate A the principal parts of our attachment are contained.

B is the usual main spring with barrel, winding shaft, ratchet and pawl. To this barrel, see Fig. 2, is attached the main drive wheel 1 whose teeth mesh with and. turn the Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 13, 1907.

Patented April 14, 1908.

Serial No. 392,727.

6, 6*, 7 and 7* to the escapement, so that the clock time mechanism is driven through the intermediate spring instead of by the main spring direct as hereafter more fully described.

The intermediate spring and its accessories are contained between the frame plates A and A, in Fig. 2, and the principal parts of i it are shown detached in Figs. 3 and 5, in which2 is the same inion shown at 2. in Fig. 2 which is driven y the main gear 1 on the spring barrel. This pinion 2, Fig. 3, is rigidly attached to a shaft a which on its outer end. has a squared ortion a fitting the squared hole of a spring barrel D containing the intermediate coil spring E which is of sufficient length and tension to run the clock through the predetermined intervals of its winding by the main spring. One end 6 Fig.5, of this spring is attached to the barrel D and the other end 6 is attached to the hub of the gear wheel 3 which gear wheel is loose on the shaft a. One of the outer convolutions of this intermediate coil spring E is caught by a split or bifurcated pin 6 Figs. 4 and 5, attached at right angles to a stop lever 12 on the outer side of spring barrel D. This split pin plays in a slot 01, Figs. 1 and 5, in the side of the spring barrel and has a motion to or from the center according as the spring is wound up and constricted or relaXed and expanded. As seen in Figs. 5 and 3, the spring E is wound up and constricted and the split pin 12 is nearest to the center of the shaft on and in the inner end of the slot d", but when this spring is expanded and run down, the pin b is forced by the outer convolution of the spring to go to the outer end of the slot d. This movement of the pin 1) from the center effects the unlocking of the barrel of the intermediate spring E and the movement to the center efl ects the locking of the same as follows:

On the. inner surface of the stationary cover plate A, Figs. 1, 3, and 4, are formed a circular series of inturned lugs (Z d and when the inner end of the stop lever b carrying pin 1) is drawn to a position near the center, as seen in Fig. 5, the outer end of lever b will strike against one of the stationary lugs cl, as in Fig. 1, and stop the further winding of the intermediate spring E, but when the inner end of lever b carrying pin b is moved out wardly, as by the unwinding and relaxation of the spring E, then the outer end of lever b moves inward and out of range of the stop lugs d and allows the main spring to again wind up the intermediate spring.

It will be understood that as the main spring winds up the intermediate spring intermittently, some means of releasing the main spring barrel is required, as well as means for stopping thesame. I11 our other application for a patent herebefore referred to, special releasing and stopping devices are provided for thus releasing and stopping the intermittent rotation of the main spring barrel. In our present invention, we cause the intermittent and recurrent action of the striking devices to effect the release of the main spring barrel in order to enable it to per form its intermittent winding of the intermediate spring.

hen the locking lever b has become released from its locking lug, the main winding gear 1 is then ready to assert its winding influence on the intermediate spring, but this movement does not occur until the striking begins to move, for the reason that the striking gear is in locked engagement with the winding gears. W'hen, however, the striking gear starts in the usual method of striking, the release which this effects on the main winding gear allows the latter to turn and perform its function.

As the releasing devices for the winding action are dependent u on the striking mechanism of the clock, ant as the striking mechanism runs very much longer in striking 12 than in striking 1 or 2, it is obvious that it is necessary to stop the time winding mechanism in some cases before the striking mechanism has finished its work, so the main time spring will be stopped without straining the intermediate spring, and still allow the striking mechanism to go on and complete its work when'striking the higher numbers. For this purpose, the releasing of the time mechanism is controlled by and made contemporaneous with the starting of the striking mechanism, but is stopped independently of it by the stop devices already described, while the striking mechanism continues and completes its action. In effecting this, we connect, see Figs. 1 and 6, the main time gear 1 and the main strike gear 1 by two equal gear wheels I and I having two pinions i and i. The pinion i of I, Fig. 6, is rigid with it and engages gear 1. The pinion i of I engages gear 1 but is loose with respect to the gear I, and connected to it for rigid rotation in one direction by pawl 19 on flange f of wheel I and ratchet r rigid with pinion i. This, in the other direction, allows gear 1 to turn pinion i and ratchet 7 without turning the wheels I and I. It will thus be seen that although gear 1 when it starts in the direction of the arrow, will also turn I and I and allow the starting of the main time gear 1, yet when the time gear is arrested after its initial movement by the stop devices described, the strike gear will continue turning to complete its striking by the free and independent movement allowed by the loose pinion and ratchet i 1', but the main time gear is held locked through the intermediate gears until the striking gear is released.

It will be seen that our invention presents in its general features a time train of gears, a motor for actuating them in the form of an intermediate spring, a winding motor in the form of a main spring, and an intermittent releasing means for the winding motor in the form of the striking mechanism. This striking mechanism, it will be understood, has the usual motor spring which is manually wound and is provided with a barrel and striking gears and by means of the devices described the winding motor is made to effectually wind the intermediate spring of the time gear with the minimum movement of the striking gear, as in striking 1 oclock and, in striking the higher numbers, the motion of the winding movement is arrested after the initial movement, so that the striking gears can continue to turn and complete the striking of said high numbers.

WVe do not claim broadly the intermediate spring with its winding and stop mechanism, as this is claimed in our co-pending application for a patent already referred to.

We claim 1. A movement for clocks and watches, comprising a striking mechanism, a main spring, an escapement and a train of gears connecting the same, said train having interposed in it an intermediate coil spring arranged to be automatically wound at intervals by the main spring to actuate the escapement, a stopping mechanism for the automatic winding mechanism and a releasing mechanism connected to and controlled by the striking mechanism.

2. A movement for clocks and watches, comprising a striking mechanism, a main spring, an escapement and a train of time gears connecting the same, said train having interposed 'in it an intermediate coil s ring I and consisting of gears with ratchet and pawl connecting the time gears and striking gears, said stopping mechanism being arranged to arrest the time gears when the intermediate spring is wound up and allow the striking gears to independently continue their action.

3. A movement for clocks and watches, comprising a striking mechanism, a main spring, an escapement and a train of time gears connecting the same, said train having interposed in it an intermediate coil spring arranged to be automatically wound at inter vals by the main spring to actuate the escapement, a stopping mechanism for the automatic winding mechanism consisting of a lever having a pin at one end controlled by the expansion and contraction of the intermediate spring, and a stationary set of circumferential stops arranged to be engaged by the outer end of said lever when its inner end is drawn toward the center by the winding up of the intermediate spring, and a releasing mechanism for the main spring.

4. A movement for clocks and watches comprising a time winding shaft with main s ring and driving gear, a strike winding sliaft with main spring and driving gear, intermediate gears connecting the main time gear with the main strike gear, said intermediate gears being arranged to rotate together in one direction and independently in the other direction, and an intermediate time spring arranged to be wound by the main time spring and to actuate the escapement and an automatic stop device for the time gears arranged to come into effect when the intermediate spring is wound up.

5. A clock movement having a main spring, an intermediate secondary winding spring, stop devices for the same and a releasing mechanism controlled by the striking mechanism.

6. A combination in a clockor watch, of a time train, a motor for actuating the same, a winding motor for the train actuating motor, an intermittently acting striking device, and means connecting the striking device to the winding motor to release the latter and allow it to start into action.

GUSTAF SYLVAN. J OHANNES B. SYLVAN. EMIL WILHELM SYLVAN.

Witnesses J. T. MELToN, JNO. L. MILLER. 

